Uber launches first commuter boat service on the Thames August 3, 2020 Uber’s first ever UK boat service will set sail on the River Thames today in a new partnership that will see Thames Clippers’ commuter service rebranded by the global ride-hailing giant. Twenty boats will take to the water today as part of the fresh collaboration, with departures from 23 piers across London from Putney to [...]
Arch Co to launch #loveyourlocalarches campaign encouraging local shopping July 31, 2020 One of the country’s biggest small business landlords is to launch a campaign across August encouraging Brits to support their local firms and communities. The Arch Company has over 2,000 small business tenants in London and nearly 4,000 across the UK, most of which are sited in formerly disused railway arches. Alongside Transport for London [...]
Sadiq Khan tasks advisers to create emerging tech plan for London July 30, 2020 Sadiq Khan has tasked his advisers with identifying which emerging technology trends would most benefit London and its residents, as he seeks upgrade the capital’s infrastructure and policies. The mayor of London has appointed his chief digital officer Theo Blackwell and the Smart London Board to create an Emerging Technology Charter, which will set out [...]
Barclays urges staff back to the office as HSBC eyes September return July 29, 2020 Barclays boss Jes Staley has indicated he wants employees to return to the office, as HSBC reportedly tells its staff they can work in Canary Wharf from September. Speaking to Bloomberg TV today, Staley said: “It is important to get people back together in physical concentrations.” He has previously said big city offices “may be [...]
Does Covid-19 mark the beginning of the end for cash? July 29, 2020 Many European countries were already moving away from cash transactions and the pandemic will only speed up this trend. The Covid-19 crisis has changed our daily lives in multiple ways and accelerated a number of trends that were already in place. For many of us, one obvious change is that the need to use cash [...]
Lose five pounds for the government? It’s thanks to the government I gained it in the first place July 29, 2020 I cannot be the only person who has gained five pounds during lockdown. I am still far from overweight (the NHS BMI calculator helpfully tells me that I am in the optimum range for my age and height), but the government’s sudden fixation on slimming down the nation has not exactly been great for my [...]
Local Tories urge Grant Shapps to save ‘vital’ Bakerloo Line extension July 28, 2020 Conservative councillors have urged transport secretary Grant Shapps to guarantee the future of long-awaited Bakerloo Line extension to Lewisham after it was thrown into doubt. Transport for London (TfL) warned last week that the Bakerloo Line extension may “be unable to progress” unless a new funding model is agreed. It is one of four major [...]
TfL may halt Crossrail 2 work over government funding review July 24, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) today warned it may have to pause work on some of its biggest infrastructure projects, including Crossrail 2, unless it gets a new funding deal from the government. The capital’s transport operator this morning set out its revised budget for the year, saying it would need £3.5bn due to the damage [...]
TfL’s financial blackhole hits £3.5bn as commuters stay home July 24, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) this morning said it would need £3.5bn in funding over the full year due to uncertainty over commuter demand due to the coronavirus. The figure is £300m higher than that laid out in the transport operator’s emergency coronavirus budget in May. It also said that it would require an additional £2.9bn [...]
Two Londoners clean up after flipping their business into sanitiser bays July 24, 2020 Two twenty-something Londoners are set to clean up after pivoting their mobile charging units firm into a hand sanitiser supplier. Hugo Tilmouth and Charlie Baron were set to launch ChargedUp, a network of mobile phone charging units which would sit in public places across the capital. But as Covid-19 hit, the firm – backed by [...]